Deliver Us From Evil

16

THEY WERE SITTING in a car outside Charles de Gaulle Airport. Shortly, a turboprop plane would be taking Shaw to Avignon. The plan was for him to stay there a few days before venturing on to Gordes, which was less than an hour’s drive away.

Frank said, “Amy Crawford is already in Provence.”

“I’ve worked with her before. She’s a top-notch field agent.”

“Got the plan down pat?”

“In my head it’s perfect. We’ll see how it flies on the ground.”

Frank made to light one of his little cigars, but Shaw stopped him. “Give it a rest until I’m twenty thousand feet up. I need the extra oxygen right now.”

Frank put his cigar away. “Nervous? Not like you.”

“I saw Katie the other night.”

“The hell you say. Where?”

“Right here in Paris. You telling me you didn’t know?”

“Scout’s Honor. First I heard of it.”

“Come on, Frank. She showed up at the restaurant where I was having dinner. How do you think she managed that?”

“You ever stop and think that the lady is a world-class journalist? She finds stuff out.”

“Right.” Shaw clearly did not believe this.

“What’d she want?”

Shaw didn’t answer right away because he didn’t really have an answer. What did she want? Was it really just to see for herself that I was okay? But I told her that on the phone.

“Shaw?”

He noticed that Frank was staring at him and didn’t look happy. “You just zoned out on me. You’re heading out on a mission against one very scary guy and you’re already zoning? Not good.”

“She didn’t really say what she wanted. And she only stayed a minute.”

Frank gripped his arm. “What, you telling me you didn’t invite her to join you for dinner? She traveled all that way and-”

“How do you know how far she traveled?”

Frank made a face and slumped back in his seat.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” said Frank grumpily.

“Half the time you act like you don’t give a crap if I live or die. The other half it feels like you’re trying to play matchmaker.”

“My mother was the same way with me. Must be genetic.”

“We’re not family, Frank.”

“Hell, in some ways we’re closer than family. And who else do you have?”

Shaw looked away, tapped his travel documents against his thigh. Who else did he have? Just Frank? God, that was a depressing thought. “So why do you think she came to see me?”

“Ask me a hard one. She wanted you to tell her, face-to-face, to stay.”

“You know that for a fact?”

“It doesn’t take a brilliant deduction. And no, she didn’t tell me that, if that’s what you’re really asking.”

“Nothing can happen between her and me, Frank.”

“Well, something already has, apparently.”

“Anna’s grave isn’t even cold and-”

“It doesn’t have to be about that. You think a smart lady like Katie doesn’t know what you’re feeling about Anna? She knows you’re not going to jump into bed with her. She knows you may never jump into bed with her. And I don’t think she even wants that. At least not now.”

“So now you’re a shrink?”

“I’m just a guy making a reasoned observation.”

“So what does she really want?”

“You two shared a lot. Went through hell together. Both came out of it emotional wrecks. I think she just wants to be your friend.”

“Well, here’s a news update for you, my line of work doesn’t allow for friends.”

Shaw slammed the door shut behind him and walked off to grab his wings to Avignon.

Frank stared after him until the tall man disappeared into the masses entering the airport. He told the driver to head on. He pulled out his cigar, started to light up, and then stuck it back in his jacket pocket.

“Sometimes you don’t know how lucky you are, Shaw,” he muttered to nobody.